Monday, July 03, 2006

Nigerians get a taste of their own Medicine!

The tables have been turned on at least one Nigerian scammer after an online vigilante successfully played him at his own game with an intricately laid "anti-scam" operation.The campaign netted a life-sized wooden carving of a Commodore 64 computer keyboard which was sent all the way from Africa to the scambaiter who is code-named Shiver Metimbers.Millions of dollars have been conned out of gullible Australians who fall for a variety of Nigerian scams (also known as 419 scams) received via spam email or in a targeted response to an online advertisements they have placed.Shiver Metimbers runs a website called 419eater.com, which is an internet hub for scam-baiting advice and war-stories. But his most recently celebrated exploit is what he describes as an "artwork anti-scam" in which he poses as the director of Derek Trotter Fine Arts.To ensnare his victim, Shiver Metimbers replied to numerous scam emails with a standard letter apologising that he was too busy to accept their business proposition at this time, asking instead if they knew of any local artists that might benefit from his financial help.When he found a willing victim, his anti-scam unfolded in much the same way as a typical 419 scam, promising payment only after a substantial investment had been laid down - in this case the receipt of a series of commissioned wooden carvings from a local artist.With some creative photo editing, Shiver Metimbers was able to string along his quarry with claims that the two carvings sent had mysteriously been damaged enroute, the first through a mysterious shrinking process, and the second by a rogue African hamster.At the end of the campaign, his booty included a wooden carving of UK characters from the Creature Comforts TV series, and a carving of a Commodore 64 computer keyboard.After sending over these intricate but unusual wooden carvings, the sting in the tail came when the 419 scammer received seemingly "official" police notification that his recent dealings with a person calling himself Derek Trotter were in fact with a notorious art forger and fraudster who had now been arrested.Nigerian scams have been around for many years, but are now far more prevalent owing to the ease with which they can be orchestrated via the internet. Lets face it, i'm sure you all have had at least one or two in your inbox, i know i have.Shiver Metimbers writes on his website that the point of scambaiting is to "enter into a dialogue with scammers, simply to waste their precious time and resources"."Whilst you are doing this, you will be helping to keep the scammers away from real potential victims and screwing around with the minds of deserving thieves," he writes.Most of the current scams are derived from Africa with victims either lured by the promise of a percentage in an investment with guaranteed high returns, or by what they interpret as a genuine appeal for help.Earlier this year Queensland police calculated that such scams had raised more than $7 million in the state with country-wide figures expected to be far higher.The NSW Fraud Squad has received numerous reports of attempted scams and has also been involved in two high-profile convictions linking back to West Africa.So finally, after all this time, these rogue Nigerians are deservedly getting a taste of their own medicine!